Pressure medium-actuated working cylinders often have end position damping to assure impact-free working action of the working cylinder. One example of such a pressure medium-actuated working cylinder with end position damping is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,127. In this working cylinder, an axially protruding, tubular, cylindrical damping pin is provided on each of the two face ends of the piston, and associated with the damping pin is a receiving opening in the respective end piece, toward it, of the cylinder body, into which opening the damping pin plunges upon the approach of the piston to its end position. The receiving opening is in communication with a device for throttled the diversion pressure medium enclosed in the damping chamber. The length of the path that the piston travels upon approach to an end position, from the position in which the damping pin is just beginning to penetrate into the receiving opening and closes the damping chamber, until the position in which the piston has reached its actual terminal position and for instance rests with its face end on the face end of the associated end part, is called the damping stroke. The length of this damping stroke is predetermined by the axial length of the damping pin and hence by the depth of the receiving opening, which in turn is limited by the axial dimensions or in other words the thickness of the end part. Since the installed length of a working cylinder is often predetermined, for instance by standards, for a given piston stroke, the damping stroke cannot be made arbitrarily long.
On the other hand, particularly when relatively large masses are in motion, a longer damping distance, or in other words a longer damping stroke, is appropriate, since by that means the kinetic energy of the moving masses can be better dissipated, which leads to lesser reaction forces on the subconstruction and usually also improves adjustability, especially with additional elements. In an end position—damped working cylinder known from German Utility Model DE 297 06 364 U1, the main piston of the working cylinder is preceded by a control piston, which carries a ring magnet and which is connected to the main piston via cone springs and slides displaceably on the piston rod. The control piston simultaneously serves a blocking device and as a valve for outflow conduits, and upon contact of the control piston with the respective end part of the working cylinder, a damping impoundment chamber is embodies, from which fluid can flow away via a throttled outflow bore. Although this working cylinder does have a longer damping path or stroke in comparison to the aforementioned prior art, nevertheless the cone spring requires additional installation space, which is in addition to the fact that the use of spring elements, because of their limited service life, is problematic in many applications.